Hannan High milestone hailed, as ground broken for new school

The long-awaited task of constructing a new Archbishop Hannan High School is officially under way, after Catholic leaders and administrators broke ground at the campus' permanent site near Goodbee Tuesday morning.

New and returning students, parents and officials from the Archdiocese of New Orleans and the school gathered beneath a white tent on the property to socialize, celebrate the onset of construction and ponder the possibilities that a new campus could offer.

Parents said the ceremony signaled a turning point for the entire Hannan community, which struggled through the last year in almost constant conflict over the school's lagging construction timeline and the lack of amenities at its temporary campus near Covington.

Archdiocese officials are hoping to complete construction in time for fall of 2008, with students on campus by early 2009, said Sarah Comiskey, associate director of communications for the archdiocese.

Archbishop Alfred Hughes offered a prayer and blessed the property before hoisting his shovel and turning the soil in a symbolic gesture, alongside a dozen other officials. Hughes also praised the school community for overcoming adversity, saying it had turned "victimhood into victory."

Previously located in Meraux, Hannan's original campus was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. After the storm, officials decided to relocate the school to the north shore to provide for a co-ed Catholic high school in western St. Tammany.

Students spent the past year in modular classrooms at St. Joseph Abbey near Covington and will remain in those facilities through this year and into the next one.